Various electrical connector assemblies are known in which two or more connector housings are interlockable or interconnectable for use in conjunction with each other to increase the capacity of the assembly. For instance, one type of electrical connector is commonly termed in the art as a SIMM connector or socket which includes an elongated dielectric housing having terminals mounted therein along one side (usually both sides) of an elongated slot defining a centerline of the connector housing. The housing may be mounted on a printed circuit board, with the terminals electrically connected to circuit traces on the board. The slot running the length of the connector housing receives a mating connector or a second printed circuit board with contact pads along one or both sides of an edge of the board. The contacts engage the terminals on the sides of the slot.
With electrical connectors of the character described above, the connector housings sometimes are provided with complementary interengaging locking means whereby a pair of elongated housings can be interlocked in close side-by-side relationship and used in conjunction with each other to provide a "dual row" connector assembly. When the connector housings are interlocked, there is a particular spacing between the centerlines of each connector, i.e. between the centerlines of the connector or board receiving slots. When it is desired to create such a dual row connector assembly on a different centerline spacing, different molds and different assembly machines must be employed to fabricate different sizes of connector housings. Such additional equipment requires additional capital, and the demand for such connector arrays may not justify the additional tooling expense. This creates problems in the versatility of such electrical connectors.
This invention is directed to solving the above problems and satisfying the need for an electrical connector assembly of the character described which can be readily modified to vary the spacing between the connector housings while maintaining the sizes and configurations of the housings, themselves, uniform. Therefore, the molds and tools for fabricating the housings can be maintained of constant dimensions.